Brian Roitman, of Stamford, carries the synagogue’s newest Sefer Torah during the holy book’s dedication at Young Israel of Stamford on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2009. It was dedicated in memory of his 2 1?2 year-old son Kerav who died last August. less

Brian Roitman, of Stamford, carries the synagogue’s newest Sefer Torah during the holy book’s dedication at Young Israel of Stamford on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2009. It was dedicated in memory of his 2 1?2 ... more

Congregants from Young Israel of Stamford march with the synagogue’s newest Sefer Torah during the holy book’s dedication at Young Israel of Stamford on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2009. It was dedicated in memory of his 2 1/2 year-old son Kerav who died last August. less

Congregants from Young Israel of Stamford march with the synagogue’s newest Sefer Torah during the holy book’s dedication at Young Israel of Stamford on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2009. It was dedicated in memory of ... more

STAMFORD -- The Jewish community of Young Israel danced and sang through the streets of Belltown on Sunday morning, shepherding the synagogue's newest Sefer Torah into the ark.

Together with 3,000 years of tradition and history, the joyous crowd celebrated with a unique image in mind -- the megawatt smile of 2﻿12-year-old Kerav Roitman, who died last August from complications of an infection.

"The impact of a Torah in my great-great-grandson's memory is enduring in a way a monument can never be," Estelle Roitman, the family's 92-year-old matriarch, said as she stood before the synagogue to thank its members.

The holiest book in Judaism, the Sefer Torah is a handwritten copy of the first five books of the Bible, said Eliezer Silverman, chairman of the Sefer Torah committee. It took nearly a year to copy the 304,805 tiny Hebrew letters with a feather quill onto calfskin parchment.

The dedication of a Sefer Torah is a rare event, Young Israel Rabbi Elly Krimsky said.

"Bringing in another scroll to our synagogue is a statement of the aliveness and the vivaciousness of the Jewish people in general, and specifically, our synagogue," Krimsky said.

Many Jews may never see a dedication of a Sefer Torah in their lives, he said.

Despite the gravity of the dedication, the mood on Sunday was far from solemn.

More than 100 people gathered in front of the Roitmans' home on Turner Drive to accompany the Torah on its short march to the Oaklawn Avenue synagogue.

Children rode on their fathers' shoulders; young girls and boys twirled while holding hands in dancing circles; and the group sang and clapped in unison to traditional Jewish music played on a keyboard in the back of red pickup truck.

Held beneath a white cotton canopy on bamboo poles and decorated with flower petals, ribbons and children's artwork, the new Torah was covered with a midnight-blue mantel gold-stitched in memory of Kerav.

Brian Roitman, Kerav's father, held the scroll aloft for the first leg of the procession, passing it to other influential members of the congregation.

The ceremony, Krimsky said, blended elements of the traditional, the creative and the unique spirit of Stamford.

"This is about a synagogue, about a community, about a child who passed away," he said.

The procession was followed by a brief religious service, remarks by local rabbis and a brunch. To commemorate the dedication, Mayor Dannel Malloy declared Sept. 13 Sefer Torah Day in Stamford.

Sonia Roitman, Kerav's mother, overwhelmed with the community's efforts, simply said: "I'm full of emotion -- just incredulous. This is beautiful."

And though the festive mood Sunday was palpable, few in the crowd forgot the little boy whose life they were lauding.

"It is a joyous occasion," David Taub, of Stamford, said while holding his 5-year-old daughter's hand. "But it's a little mixed."